From my sister, the uber-talented Delilah Devlin!
I've read it and it's fantastic! A thrilling ride from start to end!
Shattered Souls
by Delilah Devlin
Blurb:
From popular author Delilah Devlin comes the unforgettable heroine, Caitlyn O’Connell—a psychic ex-cop who’s hell-bent on redemption.
Caitlyn O’Connell had it all: a career with the Memphis PD, a passionate marriage, and the satisfaction that her work made a difference in the world. But she also had a secret, a supernatural “gift” that cost her everything. Now she scrapes by as a private investigator, taking cases the cops won’t touch and counting down the minutes until happy hour.
But when Sam Pierce, her former partner and estranged ex-husband, comes to her for help with a bizarre murder case, Cait can’t say no. And not just because Sam is still as irresistibly sexy as he was on the day they met. Something sinister—and demonic—is terrorizing Memphis, leaving a bloody trail of bodies and clues only Cait can read. Together she and Sam will venture into a dark world of magic and unholy terror, hunting a killer who will lead them to the brink of reality as they know it—and back into the thrall of their stormy past. Steamy and suspenseful, Shattered Souls is the pulse-quickening new offering from fan favorite romance author Delilah Devlin.
Excerpt:
Detective Sam Pierce discovers
Cait’s hidden past and learns in an incontrovertible way that there’s magic in
the air...
Sam set the mike back in its bracket in the dashboard of his car and turned to Cait. After a fifteen-minute drive, they’d parked outside a palm reader’s shop. The neon sign flashing above the door said “Psychic Inside.” He grimaced but was careful not to let Cait see. She was still grumbling over the fact he had become her shadow.
Sam set the mike back in its bracket in the dashboard of his car and turned to Cait. After a fifteen-minute drive, they’d parked outside a palm reader’s shop. The neon sign flashing above the door said “Psychic Inside.” He grimaced but was careful not to let Cait see. She was still grumbling over the fact he had become her shadow.
Cait didn’t
work well with partners. Not when it came to the woo-woo shit, anyway.
She’d just have
to tough the situation out because too much was riding on this for him,
personally and professionally, to let her out of his sight. The moment he’d
heard her voice when he’d played back the message on Henry’s voice mail his
heart had stopped. More than just a detective’s need to follow a clue had him
hotfooting it to her apartment to confront her. He’d been more frightened than
he’d ever been in his life that she might have been caught up in the violence
that occurred in that room.
Not until he’d
stood over her still form as she slept, breathed in the odor of stale booze,
checked her clothing for blood, her knuckles and skin for signs of a struggle,
did his anger surpass the fear that first gripped him. He hadn’t wanted her to
be involved, not as a witness, victim, or a possible suspect, but he’d dragged
her into the investigation anyway.
Intellectually,
the action made sense. Emotionally, he knew he was treading along a dangerous
path. The attraction was still as strong as ever…at least on his side.
After he’d
reassured himself she was safe, he’d hovered while she slept, drinking in the
familiar landscape, pausing to stare at the slight curves of her breasts, the
taut indentation of her narrow waist, and the fleshy swell of her lush
hips—even though not touching just about killed him. Her legs, bared beneath
the hem of her T-shirt, were still as trim, still as leanly muscled as he
remembered. He could still feel their fierce grip, strong and feminine, around
his waist.
He’d been rough
with her, but he’d handled her that way out of self-preservation.
But shoving her
under cold water had nearly done him in. Her nipples had spiked hard, the
rust-colored areolae visible beneath the transparent material of her T-shirt.
He’d been careful to keep his face free of expression. If she’d known how
aroused he’d become, they might not have made it out the door.
Sex had never
been an issue between them. The slightest encouragement would have caused their
surly passions to explode like an arsonist’s match to an accelerant.
Ruthlessly, Sam
pushed away the memories. He got out of the car, turning away to adjust himself
because his groin felt heavy and throbbed uncomfortably. Then he circled the
car to her door. She faced straight ahead, and he wondered if she’d nodded off
during the drive. He knocked on the glass. “Come on.”
Her chest
lifted and her cheeks billowed as she blew out a deep breath. But she opened
the door and stepped out onto the curb. “Sure you don’t want to wait outside?”
Not willing to
repeat himself, Sam gave her a steady stare. He’d play the asshole for now and
hope the anger he displayed would sink deep and kill his arousal.
She sighed and
trudged to the door of the shop. A bell tinkled as she pushed it open and entered
the dim interior.
The smell of
incense and candles permeated the air. The shop was deep but narrow. Shelves of
New Age and voodoo kitsch lined the walls to the left. To the right stood a
long counter with more shelves filled with apothecary bottles and
jewelry—amulets, beaded bracelets, silver-wrapped crystals—sitting alongside
displays of colorful voodoo dolls. Behind the counter was a doorway covered by
strands of purple beads. A hand parted the beads, and a woman stepped through.
Sam nearly
snorted. She was dressed in a caftan in an African print of red, gold, and
black. Her long black hair hung in stiff curls past her shoulders. Large gold
hoops dangled from her ears.
She wore her
age well, only a few deep wrinkles creasing the corners of her large brown eyes
as she smiled at Cait and swept around the counter to embrace her. “’Bout time
you come see me, little girl,” she said in a deep, musical voice.
Her words were
flavored with chicory and island patois. Sam guessed she’d followed the
Mississippi northward from New Orleans.
Cait accepted
the embrace but was slower to lift her arms and return it. “Good to see you,
Tante Celeste,” she said in that gruff tone that meant she was moved more than
she cared to admit.
Sam’s gaze
sliced between both women. This was a long acquaintance. A nearly familial one. And his curiosity was piqued. Cait hadn’t
shared a damn thing about her past other than infrequent mentions of her police
officer father in all the time they’d spent together. Until this moment, he’d
never met a single soul she’d known before she entered the force.
Celeste’s brown
gaze rose above Cait’s shoulder. “You brought a friend, ma petite?”
Cait dropped
her arms and moved back. “This is Sam,” she said, her green gaze sliding
uneasily between Sam and Celeste. “He’s…working with me.”
A dark eyebrow
arched. “Heard you weren’t a cop no more. But you bring one to my door.”
“Well, he’s
still a cop. He asked for my help with something.”
“Somethin’ that
requires you seek me out?” Celeste clucked. “Must be somethin’ dark.”
Sam watched the
two women, but was especially fascinated with Cait’s expression. She looked
uncertain, the pallor of her cheeks a stark contrast against her brilliant red
hair. “I need to find Morin,” she said softly.
Celeste’s eyes
widened, but her mouth stretched into a catlike smile. “Funny you should
mention him. He left somethin’ for you. Said you’d be comin’.”
Left something?
Cait’s chest
rose. “I wasn’t sure he was still around these parts.”
“Morin never
left. He waits for you. But you know, he’s gonna want somethin’ in ’change for
his help.”
For a moment,
Cait’s eyes closed.
Sam stiffened,
sensing there was something deeply disturbing about this Morin and wondering
what exactly his relationship was to his ex-wife.
Celeste walked
around the counter and reached under the cash register. When she straightened,
she held a small cloth bag tied with twine.
Cait’s lips
compressed into a thin line, but she held out her hand, fingers curling tightly
around the bag. “Did he leave you…words?”
“You don’t
remember?”
“It’s been
forever since I last saw him. I wanted to forget.”
“Ma chere, you must learn to forgive.
Morin has always been here for you. Even after you abandoned him.”
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